Birgen upbeat after breaking Nakuru duck

Ulinzi Stars defender Brian Birgen is a happy man after overcoming two hurdles; registering a maiden win for the soldiers at the A.S.K Grounds in Nakuru this season, and setting up the second goal to banish bad memories of an own goal he scored against Tusker FC last month.

Birgen acknowledged that there has been pressure for the team to perform in Nakuru but things have not been working for the Soldiers, noting that they would continue putting in more effort to follow up the win with more wins consistently.

"It is good that we have finally gotten a win in Nakuru after several attempts. there has been pressure, but it has been positive from all quarters. it has helped us do soul searching and know where the issue was and we will continue working hard so that we can have consistency at home," the defender said.

Ulinzi Stars went for a three-match losing streak, conceding nine goals in the process, a bad record for a team that had only let in 12 goals before that. Birgen revealed that they had a departmental meeting before the Wazito clash and deliberated on areas they needed to improve on and it worked.

He went ahead to say that scoring an own goal against Tusker was a low moment for him but he did not let it put him down. Instead, he put in more work and ended up setting up Ulinzi's second goal that was deflected into the net by Wqazito's Johnstone Omurwa.

"Conceding 10 goals in 4 matches is a bad record and it was not good especially for us the defenders considering that we have not been conceding as much. We sat as a department and deliberated on what to do and it was evident against Wazito that we were more compact. Though accidental, the own goal against Tusker FC was a blow to me but I did not let it pin me down. Against Wazito my cross was put in the net by their defender and I feel good for that," Birgen added

The Soldiers are now focused on their next assignments as the season approaches the homestretch and Birgen is optimistic of a better league position when the curtains close provided they keep working.

"We know the schedule is tight and there is no time to celebrate a win, we are already focused on the next game. We will continue to work hard and look for consistency. Going forward, we will be in a better position by the end o the season," he concluded.

Ulinzi are 10th on the log with 31 points from 24 games.